1 Dec 2009

Simply having a wonderful chalet time!

I've been getting reports from across the pond that people are becoming concerned about my well-being due to the fact that I haven't posted in a while. So, just to reassure you, I am still alive and well. I've just been monumentally busy recently, November has gone by in a flash!

School has kept me more than busy recently, in the run up to Christmas all the children seem to have gone insane and good behaviour has gone out of the window (again). But it's been a lot of fun too. One of the more mischievous boys in Sec.3 made my week this week with the comment "you is the best English teacher we is having, Miss". I'm not sure this isn't somewhat of a contradiction in itself, but it is nice to know I've got through to at least one of them!

On to more general musings. Several more things have struck me recently about the culture here - firstly the obsession with disinfecting anything and everything is starting to get on my nerves somewhat. It's no wonder half the children at school have serious allergies when they have never been exposed to anything less than a sterile environment. They have no chance to build up their immune systems to fight off even a little sniffle! And the H1N1 Pandemic and scare-mongering is not helping matters much. While I'm on the subject of swine 'flu, the majority of students are being bussed to Quebec City tomorrow, an hour away, to have the H1N1 vaccine. There are, in my opinion, several things wrong with this situation. Not with having the vaccine itself, but the fact that the children are being bussed to Quebec city to start with. When all is needed is for a couple of nurses to come out to the school with the equipment, the organisation involved in tens of school buses transporting hundreds of children to the capital seems a tad excessive. It's not as if the school is any less clean than a hospital or medical centre would be (see previous rant about disinfecting).

I'm starting to feel like such an old woman, harping on about how things were "in my day". But in all seriousness, when I was at school, you lined up in the assembly hall, the school nurse swabbed your arm then stuck you with the needle. 5 minutes later and you were back in class and getting on with the lesson at hand. As far as I'm concerned, people are making mountains out of molehills about everything these days. The parents of the children have even been allowed to attend the vaccination, clearly in case a quick prod with a needle forever scars the child emotionally. Compensation culture I suppose, couldn't run the risk of someone suing ten years down the line. I could understand if I were teaching at a primary school, the support of a parent in many cases would probably be invaluable. However, children aged 12-17 should really be able to cope for 5 minutes without their "helicopter parents" hovering nearby all the livelong day!

Whilst I'm in full on rant mode, I might as well have a general rant about modern western culture when it comes to children. Some children these days clearly spend far too much time in front of an "electronic babysitter", be it television, internet or games console. As a consequence, teachers are left despairing of the fact that some children in their classes have no curiosity, no imagination and have never learnt to think for themselves. I constantly find myself in an uphill struggle with students unused to imagining different scenarios, putting themselves in the place of others or generally having an independent thought! It's very difficult to get children to practice vocabulary, for instance ordering something in a restaurant, if their first reaction is to say "but I'm not in a restaurant!" It can be very tempting to give up entirely, but I won't!

Something else I find interesting is the difference in the standards of discipline between here and the UK. Obviously it will vary enormously between schools, and comparing a Grammar School in England to a Public High School here is hardly a fair comparison. But, since when was life ever fair? (as I keep having to remind the students when they don't want to do things - you can't always have what you want. Life isn't fair. Get over it!) Having students wander into your class when they feel like it, a mass exodus when the bell rings regardless of whether the teacher has finished speaking, or complaining that learning English is "against their human rights" is a far cry from the world of LGGS where you stand up when the teacher enters the room and say good morning, and wait to be dismissed at the end of the lesson! As a teacher, I know which I would prefer! That's not to say either way is better, just different. It takes some getting used to though.

Anyway, enough musings. What else have I been up to, I hear you cry? Well, last weekend 80 language assistants, from Britain, Ireland, Canada, Germany, Mexico and some random hangers-on all descended on my wee village. We rented a chalet in the hopes of being able to spend a weekend skiing at Mont Ste-Anne, but fate decided otherwise. This November has been one of the warmest on record, with average temperatures of 10˚c, as opposed to the usual -4˚c. A severe lack of snow has meant the ski resort opening has been pushed back by almost a month. However, we didn't let the heat spoil our weekend fun. We climbed a mountain, some people went to a spa, and there were lots of games of Scrabble as well as more food than the human body can handle. We did a Secret Santa present exchange as well and had a sing-along. It was a lot of fun and laughter, it really did feel almost like Christmas. Special mention to Andy Henton, from whom I stole the title for this post, and for organising the whole weekend and working tirelessly to make it a success.

The snow has now arrived, a day after everyone left the chalet (typical) and there are a good few inches covering the ground. It looks quite magical now, with all the Christmas lights decorating the houses and gardens (another cultural difference - here it is not considered tacky to use more electricity for decorations than some countries use in a year) and the snow settled on the ground. Unfortunately, I haven't quite got the knack of walking on the snow and ice yet (several falls and many bruises) but I've got to get some winter boots tomorrow, so I think I'll be getting ones with metal spikes on the soles to literally fix myself to the ground!

For now, I think I'm done with this marathon post. In 3 weeks I will be back home in England for Christmas and I can't wait! Until then, all that really remains is to wish you all a Joyeux Noel and a Merry Christmas, no matter where in the world you are!

xxx